Once Upon a Scream
by thenotsofabulouskilljoy
Summary: Florist/Tattoo artist AU I totally stole from Tumblr. aly and rated M for language and adult themes in later chapters. What happens when Gilbert falls for the Italian next door and he doesn't fall back? Side-pairings. France/Prussia and Spain/Romano at some point then back to Prussia/Romano.
1. Chapter 1

Sunlight filters through the windowpanes across the bushels of daisies, roses, sunflowers, and the like. Cars speed and honk along the busy street and pedestrians stroll along leisurely, gawking in windows and admiring items in various shops. The scent of fresh flowers waft down the street mixing in with the ones of fast food and the chatter of passerby. A sign rests atop a quaint building; Rainbow Bouquet.

Lovino rests on folded arms across the beige counter tops of the register, glancing around at the colourful displays . Today was a particularly slow day and it was Antonio's day off so he had no one to entertain him between customers. Something about being in the shop along was just a little bit offsetting to him.

The entire street was filled with lovely coffee shops and bookstores, and of course the dainty flower shop, but there was one of the whole bunch that was extremely out of place. The building next to his was a piercing and tattoo joint ran by a borderline grunge albino man named Gilbert. It wasn't unusual to have some wimp screaming and crying from the needles. But then again rumor was that Gilbert wasn't exactly gentle. A high screech is heard from the next store over and he sighs to himself, his hands sliding behind his back to tighten the knot of his apron a tad tighter.

He tucks a lock of chestnut hair behind his ear and shifts on the stool beneath him. The front bell rings and a grinning ginger man walks inside. His loafers make a small clack on the tile as he moves about the room to gaze at the different displays and charts. A few posters hung on the wall to detail proper care for the various flowers and what each colour meant.

The man stays silent a number of minutes before approaching the florist, reading his name tag for possible reference. "I need flowers for my girlfriend. It's our anniversary and I have no idea what to get her. I understand each colour means something specific but I'd like professional help." A sheepish look slides onto his face.

Of course, another smitten person shopping for their significant other. What a surprise. "Well, typically red roses mean passionate love. And pink tulips are for caring. Those go well together both in meaning and in colour." He drones in an almost bored tone, scribbling the names of the flowers, rosa and tulipa gesneriana, down on a spare notepad withdrawn form his apron.

"And white carnations are meant to signify remembrance," he jots dianthus caryophyllus down as well. Lovino sits up straight and writes a four by each name before standing. "Will that do for you today, sir?"

A bell rings once more in the background and the customer nods with a giddy grin. "Of course! I'll be by Wednesday to pick up the bouquet." Lovino nods absently and rips off the paper to stick it on the nail below the counter, orders to be filled later.

"That will be," He pauses and rings up the total. "Twenty-five dollars and sixty two cents." Taking the money, he reaches down with a pen to circle the total on the order. Now he wouldn't forget it was paid for. The customer leaves and he shoves the money in its appropriate slots in the machine.

The Italian ducks behind the counter to rifle through his schoolbag and check the time on his phone. Only a little more than an hour left in his shift. This was just a job to help him slide through college without being too far in debt, almost a hobby instead of a true job.

Someone above him clears their throat impatiently and he jolts to stand only to slam his head against the counter. He groans with a pained expression and rubs his skull lightly, maneuvering back to stand up properly. Who the hell put the fucking counter there?

He cracks a hazel eye open and scowls immediately. An albino man leans on the counter, as if he owned the whole joint, donning a tight pair of red jeans and a black sleeveless shirt. It's accompanied with a leather vest that shows off the intricate swirl of one of the various tattoos on his pale flesh. His snakebites shine slightly in the sunlight and his nose stud adds to the slight glimmer. Strange ruby eyes watch the Italian closely and he rests his chin in his hands.

"Who are you?" He'd certainly never seen this man before, such an appearance would be hard to forget so easily. And Lovino was not a typically forgetful man. He just didn't pay attention was all.

"Gilbert Beilschmidt, I work next door. Tattoo artist." He holds out his hand expectantly, dropping it with a grin when the clerk doesn't move an inch. "Lovino is a nice name, I like it. Not as awesome as mine though."

So this was the owner next door. "Tell your fucking customers to pipe down a bit. Their screeching hurts my ears and it scares away customers." Which was true. A fair share of people had gone out of their way to avoid such a dark establishment.

"I can't control them. It isn't my fault they're so wimpy; it doesn't even hurt that badly anyway." His speech holds a slight accent, certainly masked but present nevertheless. It was almost attractive.

"I don't care. Put up a notice or something, it's annoying." Gilbert hums in reply, not truly paying any attention and instead focuses on his smooth voice. Syllables fell naturally from his tongue and his accent unconcealed.

Hazel eyes narrow once he notices the attention. "What're you looking at? Stop that, it's creepy." A small scowl twists on his face.

"Can I not admire someone as attractive as a God?" He grins, knowing he must surely be swooning by now. People fell left and right to his devilish charm no matter gender, age, or orientation. It was a little skill of his.

"Get out." Wait. What? Lovino didn't let up on the infuriated look and certainly wasn't blushing like most would be. Not swooning. Not falling for him head over heels. This was a problem. He frowns.

"Get out? Why?" Gilbert stands up straight as he absently toys with one of his lip piercings, an old nervous habit he never seemed able to kick for good.

"I'm not interested in flirting with you. And I'm too tired to deal with your blatant ego." Lovino stares at him coldly, unfazed. He checks his wristwatch for a moment as Gilbert splutters to formulate a response.

"W-Will you even give me a chance? C'mon, don't be so cold to me." He pleads awkwardly, grinning ever so slightly as his bangs slide into his eyes. Brushing them off, he watches the brunet.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"C'mon!"

"Maybe. Get out before you ruin my already shitty mood."

Gilbert laughs triumphantly and pumps his fist into the air before turning away and marching towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Lovi." He purrs unabashedly.

"Don't call me that!"

The bell atop the door jingles, signaling his final exit. He had a chance and that's all he needed.


	2. Chapter 2

This time the albino comes early in the morning just as Lovino's shift starts up, parading into the establishment with a cocky grin. Sunlight slides over the paved sidewalk and washes in a gorgeous fiery hue. A few people are already settling at the cafe, chatting and drinking their morning brew.

The doorbell tinkles and a disgruntled brunet yawns from the storage room as he ties the colourful apron around his middle over his casual clothes. Pinning on the name tag, Lovino moves onto the floor with a tired look. It was far too early to function.

"Good morning and welcome to Rainbow Bouquet, ho-." His gaze lands at the albino, whom was obscured by a panel of roses, and he scowls before finishing, "Help you?"

The male plucks a fine rose from the selection and twists it between his index finger and thumb confidently, taking a moment to think on the question. "A date would be a nice start."

"I meant something that wouldn't cause me internal suffering." He fires back, wishing he could sucker punch the albino out the front door and onto the street. How many times did he have to say he wasn't interested? Honestly.

"You hurt my awesome feelings!" He returns the rose to its slot as a little yellow bird pokes out its head from Gilbert's shirt pocket with a small chirp. He chews the red edge of the cotton shirt absently, feathers ruffled.

"Is that a fucking canary?" Lovino makes a noise of disgust and screws up his nose. "Get it out before it shits on the fucking roses." The last thing he wanted to do was clean up bird feces.

"No, he's awesome. And I couldn't leave him in the store! He gets anxious and upset. Little Gilbird wouldn't like that. No, not at all." He starts talking to Lovino but gradually ends up cooing at the little bird, petting Gilbird's head with his finger gently. "Are you hungry? I bet you are. I'll get you some seeds later."

The bell rings once more and a cheery brunet strolls in, already decked out in his work uniform. "Buenos días, Lovi! Are you ready for a wonderful day?" He slings his coat over his arm and moves inside. "Oh, a customer already! Great, you take care of him and I'll start up!"

"Sure, just shut up. You're wasting your precious breath." He watches as the Spaniard moves around them and catches Gilbert's sultry wink, slapping his shoulder on reflex with a low hiss. "Stop that, creep."

"Why? I'm merely showing my appreciation for you." He steps closer and Gilbird slips back deeply into the pocket of his v-neck. "You know, you'd look amazing with a labret piercing." Gilbert taps his chin with a thoughtful hum. "I can give you a deal on it."

"No way! I won't want you or your freaky needles anywhere near my face. And I don't want a damn piece of metal in my lip either." He fumes, stepping back and nearly colliding with the daffodil display. Who did he think he was, being so damn assertive? To hell with him and his damned bird. Stupid little cotton ball.

"Suit yourself; I still like the idea." He pats his shirt pocket. "Hate to leave so soon but Gilbird is hungry and I can't abandon store. I'll see you later, Lovi." What a cute and endearing nickname. And positively infuriating to the Italian.

"Just get the hell out of my sight. I hate you, bastard." His curl crinkles ever so slightly as he turns on his heel back to the cashier desk.

"Auf Wiedersehen!" The bell tinkles once more.

Lovino retires on his stool like he does everyday, a prominent scowl settling on his face as he huffs. Antonio comes from the storage room and clasps a hand on his shoulder.

"How was the customer?" His tone is light and cheerful, per usual.

"That wasn't the customer. It was that douche from next door with the screaming people." He swats the hand away in irritation.

"Oh, really? So that was Gilbert. Funny, I didn't imagine him as an albino!" His laugh rings around the room and he perches on a slightly shorter stool beside him. They never had chairs so they just brought whatever they wanted from home.

"Yeah, well, he isn't worth imagining. Nothing to him but his ego and some stupid canary he named after himself." He reads off a few orders. "So conceited."

"Don't say that! You barely know him, right?"

"I don't want to know him anymore than I have to. Knowing his first name is fine." The brunet stands with a mumble and settles a few orders on the counter. Wednesdays were generally slow days for whatever reason so he tried to do due orders in the morning. As he moves around the floor, picking flowers of all sorts of colours and kinds, Antonio replies.

"I'm sure he isn't as bad as you say he is, amigo. You do tend to exaggerate the details a bit." He smiles nervously at the younger man. "I'll go introduce myself later. Who knows? Maybe he's a good pal!"

A snort. "As if! But do whatever you want, just don't come whining to me about how rude and obnoxious he is." Lovino sends him a warning look as he grasps the armful and heads to a separate table to form the bouquets.

He sorts them into piles, one for each order, and pulls out a fine wrapping and bow for each one. His hands fly to bunch together the stems and tie them tightly in a thick rubber band before wrapping the plastic around it. Tape secures the end and he makes a neat bow to cover it. Only years of experience produced such skilled work.

"Fine, fine. I won't." The corner of his lips curls up in a slightly smaller smile and he hooks up his phone to the speakers below the desk, where they usually store their more personal items during work. A slow piano piece plays softly and the sound travels through the room, clearing their minds into a peaceful state.

He hums in reply as he settles the bouquet in a vase and starts on the second. "You say that now, bastard."


	3. Chapter 3

True to his word, Antonio ventures over to the tattoo shop on his next free day. It'd been about a week since their last encounter but apparently Gilbert makes daily visits, somehow eluding the Spaniard as he does so.

Heavy metal blasts from the speakers onto the street as he enters and glances around. Black speakers are hanging from the four corners of the shop, a rack of CDs to his immediate left and right. Straight ahead is a cashier table with a cluster of revolving stations, filled with various piercings, and a chair with a mirror behind it. To the right of the set-up is a reclining black seat with a tray of closed tools beside it. The room smells like a mix of cologne and fruit.

The brunet lets the door swing shut behind him and walks to the cash register. A small yellow bird chirps from the keyboard where he's settled, tilting his head at the new man as a loud crash comes from the back followed by a stream of curses. The brunet glances up towards a brightly lit hall with two doors opposite of each other. One had a sign for the restroom and the other was storage.

"Hello?" Antonio calls out tentatively as a man steps from a door in the back hall, turning to look at the potential customer. A grey shirt hangs loosely off of Gilbert's frame down to his thighs and slide a bit to expose his prominent collarbones. His pants merely consist of a pair of baggy dark jeans. He blames his terrible style on the pile of dirty clothes on his apartment floor.

"Hallo! The awesome Gilbert is at your service." He wipes his dusty hands on his pants and grins widely. "You look familiar, don't you work at that flower shop next door?" No one was in and business was fairly slow but he doubted that the man wanted anything from his store, judging on appearance.

"Ah, I see. I'm Antonio! And yes, I do work next door. But today is my day off and I wanted to come say hello since you and Lovi already seem acquainted. I felt a bit rude not saying anything the other week." His curls bounce slightly around his head as he glances at the piercings in a rack beside him, remembering how Lovino mentioned the albino wanting to pierce his lip.

"It's fine! I had to hurry over here before I was late, not that is matters since I own it." The albino laughs to himself and picks up Gilbird on his finger, the little bird perching on the slim digit. Gilbird chirps and flutters his wings before settling silently, hopping back and forth as he watches Antonio.

"That's amazing," Antonio watches the little bird. "I heard a lot about you from Lovino but I'm sure you know how dramatic he can be." Their talks as of late had either centered around Gilbert or the happenings in the soccer leagues, neither of which was truly exciting and only worked as smalltalk.

"A little asshole, really, but feisty. I like feisty. It always means a challenge!" He was notorious among close friends for taking literally any challenge or bet to the extremes. It was a bit of a bad habit that he'd gotten in high school and never had the motivation to break. It worked fine as it was.

"Feisty, yes; asshole, no. He wasn't always as mean like he is now. Lovino used to be the sweetest little boy." Antonio was only a few years his senior but he was raised in close relations with Lovino and his family. In addition he always seemed to be a little mature for his age and generally could read a situation well, giving him amazing social skills and an age beyond his years.

"What do you mean by that?" Gilbert sets his pet back in the cage swinging from the ceiling on a chain and moves about cleaning up his work station. It was one of the things he took pride in keeping clean and organized. He wasn't nearly as orderly as his brother but his shop was his income and a messy shop didn't promote service.

"It's just a family ordeal, he isn't as open or as trusting as he should be. It isn't too bad but I don't think he'd want me to tell you something so personal." The albino nods at the Spaniard as he sprays the counters with a cleaner before wiping them off with a clean rag, making the marble surface shine.

"Understandable. It isn't like I'd say anything about it to him but I respect you not saying anything." Gilbert pauses and passes a hand through his unruly hair. "How long have you known Lovino? You two seem like good friends."

The Spaniard pauses a moment to think back. "Since he moved from Italy when we were in elementary school. Our parents became really good friends and we grew up in the same neighborhood." Nostalgia washes over him and he smiles to himself, lost in hot summer nights and the thick snows of winter with the Italian. It was hard to understand his accent but after a while it was endearing.

"Really? Wow, that's a long time. I don't remember having many friends when I was younger. My brother and I didn't get along well with many people back in Germany, we moved here after middle school." Jet-lag wasn't even the worst part. English was the most confusing thing for Gilbert to learn, Ludwig picked it up quickly but the albino had trouble for months and months.

"From a whole different side of the world! Must've been a pretty hard move. I can't imagine." Antonio leans on the counter and glances around, taking on a different tone, one of slight accusation. "So I heard you've been flirting with Lovino when you come to visit in the shop."

"How did you know that?" Gilbert's nose wrinkles slightly at the question. It was just a bit too strange for his taste.

"A little bird told me." He replies dully, not elaborating any farther on the topic.

"Well, who wouldn't? He's pretty hot, and I have my own personal reasons for doing so." He boasts unabashedly, taking great pride in his flirting skills. It was rare he ever scored a solid relationship from people but he usually liked one-night stands anyway. It was easier without emotions involved. Emotions only makes things messy.

"Personal reasons? Elaborate." Antonio watches his body language closely. If anyone was remotely interested in his friend the brunet takes it upon himself to see if the person is good enough for Lovino. It wasn't overprotective, per say, but just his way of helping the Italian avoiding any possible heartbreak.

"Well, he isn't falling for me. Everyone wants a piece of the awesome me so I've made it my goal to seduce him! Amazing plan, right?" He laughs again and pulls some birdseed from the drawer under the register before sprinkling it into Gilbird's cage. The yellow animal chirps and pecks at his meal.

A red flag shoots up in his mind and Antonio shifts, leaving in closer to the other male with a slight squint in his eyes. His stance shifts and his lips twist into a heavy frown. "Let me clear this up before we go any further."

Gilbert turns to the Spaniard and replaces the seeds, blinking innocently. "Clear what up?" Antonio almost looked threatening, but there was no way someone as awesome as Gilbert Beilschmidt was scared.

"If you hurt Lovino I will be after you. Keep that in mind." And he meant every word


End file.
